RX450h now 2nd most stolen car in UK

[eightk]

https://evfleetworld.co.uk/hybrid-lexus-rx-450h-now-uks-second-most-stolen-and-recovered-vehicle-says-tracker/

Not bad going considering it only entered the top ten last year 😐

Lexus you need to get this sorted.

[Spock66]

To be pedantic "stolen and recovered", but still very worrying, at least there don't seem to be any reports of thefts of vehicles which have had the protector plates fitted.

[larryadler]

Perhaps if we had a pro-active Police service in this country, a lot of these thefts could be deterred.

This is of course down to poor design by Lexus, and will never detract from the damage caused by gaining access to the CANBUS. But owners of the RX must surely be aware of this issue by now, and as Lexus seem to slow in rolling out the fix, be responsible, and sort out another form of security, if you value your vehicle.

I know it’s an additional cost we should not need to make, and the recent search I did for insurance, is quite frankly frightening, and I would conclude for a lot of people will actually be priced out of insuring an RX450h, not just from the premium, but the huge excesses that are being applied!

It does appear also, that despite what additional security measures you fit to your vehicle, Dash Cams, Ghost, steering locks, tracker, the insurance offer no credit to you on your premium! So will is make any difference to notify your insurer of the manufacturer fix?
I also have to ask, once the Lexus fix is in place, is there anything on your vehicle which would deter the thief from still causing damage, before they realise that access route is closed?
 

 

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, larryadler said:

It does appear also, that despite what additional security measures you fit to your vehicle, Dash Cams, Ghost, steering locks, tracker, the insurance offer no credit to you on your premium! So will is make any difference to notify your insurer of the manufacturer fix?

The plates that Lexus are now fitting do work but because they are not a Thatcham-Approved device they will have no effect on insurance premiums at all. To make a difference any device has to be Thatcham approved.

Due to medical and health reasons (back injury, arthritic knees) we need an SUV as both my wife and I have difficulty getting in/out of a standard saloon. We tried other manufacturer's offerings but the RX450h was, by far, the nost comfortable and easiest for us. However, I see the very real possibility of having to change to something else if these insurance costs don't come down before March

[larryadler]

I agree Herbs, I too am in the senior citizen bracket, with the associated medical age related issues. Hips, knees, etc, and I bought my RX last year, for the same reasons as yourself. 
It is the car I chose for my retirement, for comfort, reliability, warranty and dealer service.

I cannot help but feel that Sadiq Khan has his fingers in the insurance industry as well, and is pricing the big engine motors off the road, to improve air quality 😴, or perhaps I no longer have much faith in the establishment not to put the boot in where they can!
when I now reflect, Tax £560, insurance probably in excess of £1k, it does make you wonder if I should change to a Suzuki Vitara, or a Saan Yong thingy 😂🤣
 

[eightk]

2 hours ago, larryadler said:

I also have to ask, once the Lexus fix is in place, is there anything on your vehicle which would deter the thief from still causing damage, before they realise that access route is closed?

No, your front wing/wheel arch liner/headlamp would still be ripped to bits.

It’s only after they’ve accessed the wheelarch and tried to plug in their electronics that they’d realise the car has a cover plate, or an immobiliser, Ghost etc.

[Phil xxkr]

8 minutes ago, larryadler said:

I agree Herbs, I too am in the senior citizen bracket, with the associated medical age related issues. Hips, knees, etc, and I bought my RX last year, for the same reasons as yourself. 
It is the car I chose for my retirement, for comfort, reliability, warranty and dealer service.

I cannot help but feel that Sadiq Khan has his fingers in the insurance industry as well, and is pricing the big engine motors off the road, to improve air quality 😴, or perhaps I no longer have much faith in the establishment not to put the boot in where they can!
when I now reflect, Tax £560, insurance probably in excess of £1k, it does make you wonder if I should change to a Suzuki Vitara, or a Saan Yong thingy 😂🤣
 

Nil illegitum carborundum Peter. At our time of life what possible difference can it make? If your current and foreseeable financial future rests on 1k or so of disposable income then continuing to own a RX450H is not your issue. Yes the theft epidemic is a concern to all but it's not threatening to your existence 👍

[Sundance]

2 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

Nil illegitum carborundum Peter. At our time of life what possible difference can it make? If your current and foreseeable financial future rests on 1k or so of disposable income then continuing to own a RX450H is not your issue. Yes the theft epidemic is a concern to all but it's not threatening to your existence 👍

I could never get my head around Latin, as for the rest of your post I'd say yes Philip, harsh but fair! 😐

Of course one could always buy an older (pre CANbus) model to try and avoid the threat of tea leaves or scrotes and still enjoy similar comforts.  Not sure about the renewal premium yet, I'll be finding that out in Feb 🤞 .

[Phil xxkr]

8 hours ago, Sundance said:

I could never get my head around Latin, as for the rest of your post I'd say yes Philip, harsh but fair! 😐

Of course one could always buy an older (pre CANbus) model to try and avoid the threat of tea leaves or scrotes and still enjoy similar comforts.  Not sure about the renewal premium yet, I'll be finding that out in Feb 🤞 .

Mine is in December so will let you know. As to Latin this is a phrase from 50 odd years ago when I started out in an engineering firm. Roughly translated it means "don't let the bxxxarda grind you down" 😊

[Sundance]

3 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

As to Latin this is a phrase from 50 odd years ago when I started out in an engineering firm. Roughly translated it means "don't let the bxxxarda grind you down" 😊

Yeah, whatever ... it's all Greek to me 😊 .

[Phil xxkr]

33 minutes ago, Sundance said:

Yeah, whatever ... it's all Greek to me 😊 .

If it were it would be "Eivai ola ellinika gia mena" 🤣

[wivenhoe]

I sold my Range Rover partially because of the insurance hike - NFU now refuses to insure RR’s younger than 5 years. My RZ (possibly confused by insurers as a RX derivative) cost £200 more to insure for next year compared to this one. The renewal was without a tracker. I spent 20 mins going through the whole quote in a call with NFU and the policy new includes my top of the range S5 Tracker from Tracker. The renewal reduced by 50p !

[First_Lexus]

15 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

If your current and foreseeable financial future rests on 1k or so of disposable income then continuing to own a RX450H is not your issue.

It’s more whether spending that money just to insure a car is worth it based on other things you’d like to do with said money.

In 2022 my annual insurance for the RX was £350. This year it rose to £750. As things stand it’s looking like another rise to £1500 next year if nothing changes!

Frankly I’d rather not spend that just to insure the RX, regardless of how much I like it. Add in the potential for theft - or damage trying to steal - and come May / June next year I’ll be changing to another brand.

[Sundance]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

If it were it would be "Eivai ola ellinika gia mena" 🤣

Or ... Είναι όλα ελληνικά για μένα ... to be more accurate! 😁

[Phil xxkr]

15 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

It’s more whether spending that money just to insure a car is worth it based on other things you’d like to do with said money.

In 2022 my annual insurance for the RX was £350. This year it rose to £750. As things stand it’s looking like another rise to £1500 next year if nothing changes!

Frankly I’d rather not spend that just to insure the RX, regardless of how much I like it. Add in the potential for theft - or damage trying to steal - and come May / June next year I’ll be changing to another brand.

Totally agree 👍

[Phil xxkr]

2 minutes ago, Sundance said:

Or ... Είναι όλα ελληνικά για μένα ... to be more accurate! 😁

I never could get on with those Greek keyboards 😎

[Spock66]

16 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

Frankly I’d rather not spend that just to insure the RX, regardless of how much I like it. Add in the potential for theft - or damage trying to steal - and come May / June next year I’ll be changing to another brand.

But changing brand also involves cost, especially for a comparable vehicle.  Car insurance in general has increased significantly across the board, it's not just a Lexus / RX issue.

[Sundance]

30 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

I never could get on with those Greek keyboards 😎

Just turn the one you've got upside down!  🙃

[First_Lexus]

51 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

But changing brand also involves cost, especially for a comparable vehicle.  Car insurance in general has increased significantly across the board, it's not just a Lexus / RX issue.

I’ve been considering a Hyundai IONIC5 EV. That’s not quite comparable in terms of size or price, but it’s not far off. Like for like insurance quote for that was £375. 

I fully accept that insurance costs have risen, and that other brands are affected, but none seem to impacted as Range Rover and Lexus as far as I can see, albeit Tesla are having similar issues with price.

I bought my RX on a PCP that expires in twelve months. There should be a lot of equity in it, and as I said on another thread I’ll be downsizing. It’s a real struggle tbh as I like the RX so much, but not enough to have that sort of insurance cost. The cost / benefit analysis doesn’t add up for me.

I’m only doing 5k miles a year these days, so I may even consider a supermini like a Honda Jazz Crosstar. Something like that has added savings on VED and servicing. I never needed an RX, I only bought it because I could tbh. That itch is scratched, and I can downsize ahead of retirement in 12-18 months time.

[larryadler]

19 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I’ve been considering a Hyundai IONIC5 EV. That’s not quite comparable in terms of size or price, but it’s not far off. Like for like insurance quote for that was £375. 

I fully accept that insurance costs have risen, and that other brands are affected, but none seem to impacted as Range Rover and Lexus as far as I can see, albeit Tesla are having similar issues with price.

I bought my RX on a PCP that expires in twelve months. There should be a lot of equity in it, and as I said on another thread I’ll be downsizing. It’s a real struggle tbh as I like the RX so much, but not enough to have that sort of insurance cost. The cost / benefit analysis doesn’t add up for me.

I’m only doing 5k miles a year these days, so I may even consider a supermini like a Honda Jazz Crosstar. Something like that has added savings on VED and servicing. I never needed an RX, I only bought it because I could tbh. That itch is scratched, and I can downsize ahead of retirement in 12-18 months time.

19 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I’ve been considering a Hyundai IONIC5 EV. That’s not quite comparable in terms of size or price, but it’s not far off. Like for like insurance quote for that was £375. 

I fully accept that insurance costs have risen, and that other brands are affected, but none seem to impacted as Range Rover and Lexus as far as I can see, albeit Tesla are having similar issues with price.

I bought my RX on a PCP that expires in twelve months. There should be a lot of equity in it, and as I said on another thread I’ll be downsizing. It’s a real struggle tbh as I like the RX so much, but not enough to have that sort of insurance cost. The cost / benefit analysis doesn’t add up for me.

I’m only doing 5k miles a year these days, so I may even consider a supermini like a Honda Jazz Crosstar. Something like that has added savings on VED and servicing. I never needed an RX, I only bought it because I could tbh. That itch is scratched, and I can downsize ahead of retirement in 12-18 months time.

 

If I'm honest, I'm in the same camp as yourself. I love my RX, and don't want to change, and the insurance increases, are not really a problem financially. I bought mine as a retirement gift to myself, and only do 6-8k a year. 

I am afraid the electric option is not on my agenda, its just following the herd in my opinion. The same governments that recommended diesel vehicles, the success of HR2 etc, are now flogging the electric crap.      I only do 6-8k a year, but until I get a range of 500 miles, and half hour charge, and its not the same price as fossil fuels at rapid chargers, I will steer well clear. I have looked at the used EV market, no dealers want them, and how much of the insurance increases are due to to the incredulous repair costs of these glorified milk floats ? No one will either tell you or admit it, probably because all the politicians have money invested in the climate change market.

My insurance isn't due until May, so on the back burner until then. Last year it was £604, but recent quote did out of curiosity came in at £1024 !

Think i might just buy me a Hos n Cart, want some muck for your roses ?

17 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I’ve been considering a Hyundai IONIC5 EV. That’s not quite comparable in terms of size or price, but it’s not far off. Like for like insurance quote for that was £375. 

I fully accept that insurance costs have risen, and that other brands are affected, but none seem to impacted as Range Rover and Lexus as far as I can see, albeit Tesla are having similar issues with price.

I bought my RX on a PCP that expires in twelve months. There should be a lot of equity in it, and as I said on another thread I’ll be downsizing. It’s a real struggle tbh as I like the RX so much, but not enough to have that sort of insurance cost. The cost / benefit analysis doesn’t add up for me.

I’m only doing 5k miles a year these days, so I may even consider a supermini like a Honda Jazz Crosstar. Something like that has added savings on VED and servicing. I never needed an RX, I only bought it because I could tbh. That itch is scratched, and I can downsize ahead of retirement in 12-18 months time.

[Phil xxkr]

8 hours ago, Sundance said:

Just turn the one you've got upside down!  🙃

That would make it Australian 🥳

[eightk]

On 10/14/2023 at 2:40 PM, Spock66 said:

To be pedantic "stolen and recovered", but still very worrying, at least there don't seem to be any reports of thefts of vehicles which have had the protector plates fitted.

An official Lexus recall for every affected car to have the plates fitted F.O.C would stop thefts, stop damage from failed thefts and theoretically reduce premiums within months of the recall being completed… 

[wivenhoe]

I’m sorry to be a doom monger but I think the thieves will keep finding ways to defeat the manufacturers as there are now so many functions dependent on chips & wiring. Look how often Microsoft & apple have to keep updating to keep the hackers out - somebody took control remotely of a Tesla’s CanBus !

As long as used prices remain high, new cars on long delivery and spares costing a fortune it’ll remain a thieves dream - with no real policing the chances of getting caught are minimal and ill gotten gains high - they’ll find a way. 

With insurance claims and therefore policies rocketing, the government quietly grabs 12% tax, which a lot of people don’t appreciate. It was 2.5% when it was brought in and has doubled in the last couple of years. Yet another stealth tax. 

[taffie999]

On 10/14/2023 at 5:30 PM, larryadler said:

Perhaps if we had a pro-active Police service in this country, a lot of these thefts could be deterred.

This is of course down to poor design by Lexus, and will never detract from the damage caused by gaining access to the CANBUS. But owners of the RX must surely be aware of this issue by now, and as Lexus seem to slow in rolling out the fix, be responsible, and sort out another form of security, if you value your vehicle.

I know it’s an additional cost we should not need to make, and the recent search I did for insurance, is quite frankly frightening, and I would conclude for a lot of people will actually be priced out of insuring an RX450h, not just from the premium, but the huge excesses that are being applied!

It does appear also, that despite what additional security measures you fit to your vehicle, Dash Cams, Ghost, steering locks, tracker, the insurance offer no credit to you on your premium! So will is make any difference to notify your insurer of the manufacturer fix?
I also have to ask, once the Lexus fix is in place, is there anything on your vehicle which would deter the thief from still causing damage, before they realise that access route is closed?

I reckon many RX owners don't use this or any other forum, and are probably unaware of this issue. I spoke to a Lexus salesman, who had worked there a few months if memory serves, and he said that he was unaware. The only solution is a total recall of all affected models. This is the only thing that might satisfy insurance companies. To be honest, it's put me off buying one, at least for a while. The police are a waste of time now. A bigger issue is our porous borders and the ease with which these and other stolen cars are shipped abroad. It can't be beyond the wit of man to check more containers and make it difficult to smuggle these cars out. 

 

 

[YvesD]

I'm finding this hard to believe from a driving dynamics point of view at least, they're not very inspiring cars to drive spiritidly.

Presume it's organised crime stealing for transport overseas?